Florida Marriage Records Search

People need Florida marriage records for several reasons: when they need to apply for spousal benefits, purchase property or immigrate together.

Every couple that has officially married can run marriage records search in Florida.

As a rule, a Clerk of the Circuit court stores the Florida marriage records, which are then kept at the Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Additionally, marriage records in Florida keep track of the population and allow to build up statistics.

This article will explain all aspects of how to find marriage records online in Florida.

Types of Florida Marriage Records

There are two types of marriage records in Florida: marriage certificate and marriage license.

The latter is usually obtained before the marriage and serves as a document legally authorizing the couple to get married.

The marriage license is issued by the county clerk's office and legally proves that there is no impediment for the marriage to take place.

Right after the marriage is concluded, the marriage license is sent back to the Clerk of Circuit Court, where it will be filled out and subsequently recorded.

Only then can be a marriage license transferred to the Bureau of Vital Statistics for permanent filing, where in about 60 days, it will be ready.

In case the ceremony will occur earlier than 60 days from the moment the marriage license was sent to the Bureau of Vital statistics, a couple needs to get in touch with the County Clerk of Circuit Court.

However, it is worth noting that the majority of legal institutions require a marriage certificate as legal proof of marriage and rarely take the license for that matter.

On the contrary, Florida marriage certificates represent an abstract of the information contained in the marriage license, including the date and place where the marriage was recorded.

Florida marriage records legally came into power in 1927 and have served as official marriage proof.

Who Is Eligible to Run a Florida Marriage Records Search?

As a rule, marriage records in Florida are public for all people who are older than 18 years.

Unless it has been stated otherwise by the court, you could find some Florida marriage records online. All you need to do is provide your ID and personal information when filing a written request.

If you were refused to run a Florida marriage records search, you could ask for written permission from the couple whose Florida marriage records you want to obtain.

How to Find Marriage Records Online in Florida

Make sure you are eligible to run a Florida marriage records search. You might wonder how to find marriage records online in Florida.

There are multiple possibilities for running a free marriage records search. However, the majority of them would charge you a small fee for that.

Here are the most common and precise platforms to run a Florida marriage records search:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | (cdc.gov)

CDC website provides all the necessary information to know before finding some Florida marriage records online on the official Florida Department of Health website.

These include the link to the website and the fee you need to pay per download. CDC serves mostly as a mediator website with all the information and links to where and how to download Florida marriage records online.

The Florida Department of Health Website | (www.floridahealth.gov)

Once you open the website, you will be explained how to find any of the Florida marriage records online and how to request to run a Florida marriage records search.

Namely, there are two possibilities for doing so:

1. Ordering Florida marriage records online via Vital Check

To run a Florida marriage records search via this platform, you need to make sure the following information is known to you in advance.

* Names of the Spouses

* Wife's Maiden Name

* Marriage Date

* County, Where the Marriage License was Issued

You will also be asked to identify your identity to run the Florida marriage records search.

Additionally, if the exact year is unknown to you, you can pay a $2 fee per calendar year to find the Florida marriage records online.

Depending on the type of service (amendment or download of Florida marriage records), the fee would range from $2 to $15.

2. Ordering Florida marriage records online from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics

You can do a walk-in or find Florida marriage records online through the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics.

You just need to know the following information about the couple (each spouse) whose marriage records you want to obtain:

* First and Last Names

* Dates of Birth 

* Date of Marriage

* Place of Marriage (City/County)

* County where license issued

Independent Platform | (backgroundcheck.co)

It is recommended to use such independent search platforms like backgroundcheck.co to back up free marriage records search with some background information on the spouses, such as:

* Employment and Education History

* Contact Information

* Civil and Criminal Court Records (if applicable)

If you have more questions about finding marriage records online in Florida, contact the vital records office via phone or email.